11 Facts About Colm O'Reilly

Colm O'Reilly was born on 11 January 1935 and is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church.

Colm O'Reilly served as the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise from 1983 to 2013.

The youngest of seven children, O'Reilly was born to John and Alicia O'Reilly in Colmcille, County Longford.

Colm O'Reilly's eldest brother, Peter, was superior general of St Patrick's Missionary Society for sixteen years, and another brother, Brendan, was a member of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Colm O'Reilly studied at St Mel's College in Longford, and was ordained a priest on 19 June 1960.

Colm O'Reilly spent his priesthood in parishes in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, ministering first in Granard for nine years.

On 24 February 1983, O'Reilly was appointed Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise by Pope John Paul II.

Colm O'Reilly received his episcopal consecration on the following 10 April 1983 from Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich, with Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi and Bishop Cahal Daly as co-consecrators.

Colm O'Reilly was Chairman of the Commission for the Missions and of the Liaison Committee for Child Protection; and a member of the Conference Department of Social Issues and International Affairs, Committee for Family and Children, Commission for Justice and Social Affairs, and Trocaire.

In 2018, it was alleged by Richard McDonnell, former boyfriend of Ann Lovett, that, following Lovett's death, Colm O'Reilly had a local priest bring McDonnell to Longford for a meeting.

Once there, Colm O'Reilly allegedly made McDonnell tell him everything that he had told the local police, before making him kiss his ring and swear to never to tell the story again.